Theatre Bay Area

Recognized as a top Bay Area Arts & Culture nonprofit in the following years:

30
2

"Up" is the number of experts who agree that the nonprofit has had the most impact in the
field. "Down" is the number of experts who disagree that the nonprofit has had the most impact in field.

Headquarters Location:
San Francisco, CA
Founded:
1977

Mission:
Theatre Bay Area's mission is to unite, strengthen, promote and advance the theatre community in the San Francisco Bay Area, working on behalf of our conviction that the performing arts are an essential public good, critical to a healthy and truly democratic society, and invaluable as a source of personal enrichment and growth.

Story:
The San Francisco Bay Area is the third largest theatre center in the country, with more than 400 companies in 11 counties. The region boasts more theatre companies per capita than almost any other metropolitan area in the U.S. and…
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Expert Reviews: Evidence of Impact

Theatre Bay Area (TBA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the theater community in the Bay Area. They do this through programming, support to dance institutions and individual artist, resource sharing, and so much more. Theatre Bay Area's most prominent programs include TIX Bay Area ("online or in line" ticketing services), Theatre Bay Area magazine (the central source for information on the Bay Area's theatre community, reaching 10,000 readers), the TBA Web site containing one of the most comprehensive theatre listings available, numerous re-granting programs for emerging theatre companies and local theatre artists, and advocacy for the theatre and dance community on the local, state and national level.
See the complete expert review.

Leadership

Brad Erickson.
Erickson comes to TBA from the Northern California Supplier Development Council, a private nonprofit dedicated to promoting ethnic minority-owned businesses, where he worked since 1997 in several different capacities, most recently as executive director. Erickson also served as a co-artistic director of First Seen, a playwright-led theatre collective that develops and presents new work in the San Francisco Bay Area.…
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Story:
The San Francisco Bay Area is the third largest theatre center in the country, with more than 400 companies in 11 counties. The region boasts more theatre companies per capita than almost any other metropolitan area in the U.S. and is home to the third largest community of Equity (union) actors, following New York City and Chicago. Some 200 new plays are premiered here each year, many going on to wider success. Theatre Bay Area was founded in 1976 to serve this vital artistic community, and is today the largest regional theatre service organization in North America, serving as a model for other service organizations around the country.

Expert Reviews of
Theatre Bay Area

Evidence of Impact Summary:

Theatre Bay Area (TBA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the theater community in the Bay Area. They do this through programming, support to dance institutions and individual artist, resource sharing, and so much more. Theatre Bay Area's most prominent programs include TIX Bay Area ("online or in line" ticketing services), Theatre Bay Area magazine (the central source for information on the Bay Area's theatre community, reaching 10,000 readers), the TBA Web site containing one of the most comprehensive theatre listings available, numerous re-granting programs for emerging theatre companies and local theatre artists, and advocacy for the theatre and dance community on the local, state and national level.
See expert comments.

Organization Strengths Summary:

Theatre Bay Area has excellent leadership, staff, programming, and is a proven advocate for the arts. This remarkable organization has a huge membership pool made up of dance groups, multi-million dollar companies, community based organizations, and thousands of individuals who work in the arts, and more. the continue to be innovative and cutting edge, working well with everyone from the City of San Francisco to theater patrons. They are successful at conducting research, grantmaking, and a variety of other projects and services.
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Areas for Improvement Summary:

With a larger staff, Theatre Bay Area could be more effective in its wide array of programming and avoid taking on more than can be handled. Furthermore, given the geographic challenges the Bay Area poses, TBA would, with a larger staff, be able to further its impact and bring even more arts groups together.
See expert comments.

Expert Comments: Evidence of Impact

Select the boxes to display the results according to expert type.

Show:

X

Foundation Professionals (F)

X

Researchers and Faculty (R)

X

Nonprofit Senior Staff (N)

X

Other (consultants, journalists, policy makers) (O)

Far Reaching Programming

R

They are the only Bay Area organization focused on representing the theatre field in the nine county area. They also provide support for dance institutions. Theatre Bay Area has a wide diversity of programs and they engage and support the entire arts ecosystem. They are also involved and active in the state and national arena as champions of arts and culture.

N

The have a broad portfolio of programs and services that serve a large and growing membership. Almost every theatre and dance company benefits in some way from their programs. But they're not only a service organization for the field, they also have a robust program for the public through their TIX program.

Successful Advocacy

N

They are a wonderful advocacy organization.

Widespread Support

F

They are an outstanding umbrella organization supporting organizations throughout the Bay Area. They operate the successful TIX booth, promoting the arts to visitors and locals alike. TBA engages in outstanding advocacy efforts, i.e., "Counting New Beans" -- a study of audience engagement. They also manage the Night of Free Theater program that is a national model for arts participation.

N

TBA serves the broader theatrical community. It both supports companies of all sizes, missions and locations, and leads in areas such as research and community conversation. TBA allows for field-wide conversations and resources sharing. They are a strong advocate for the field in the Bay Area, and across the nation. The both support the field coming together (through conference, joint auditions, etc) and lead the field as well (for example, an intrinsic impact study came from the TBA leadership, not the member organizations)

Strong Leadership

N

Their strong leadership brings arts groups together while also serving individual artists.

Excellent Leadership and Staff

Led by a strong leader and board, the staff is able to provide the support that the Bay Area needs--through ticketing services, research, grantmaking, convenings, among other services.

High-Achieving Leadership

N

The leadership at TBA is excellent. Brad Erickson is a visionary and an incredible advocate for the field and for arts and culture locally, statewide, and nationally. And his support staff all work hard to realize his vision.

N

They have excellent leadership.

F

TBA enjoys stable leadership from Brad Erickson. They have hired their first managing director. Also, Theatre Bay Area is a strong player with City government.

Strong Advocate for Bay Area Theater

N

TBA is committed to innovative approaches to arts advocacy. They have strong leadership as well. They are a true service to the theatres of the Bay Area.

Successful Projects

N

They have a strong staff and leadership. They have a proven track record in projects such as the half price ticket booth, unified auditions, and the new intrinsic impact study.

Changes to Programming

R

I understand that they are leaving the ticketing service business and only time will tell whether this decision was the correct one.

Sustainable Programming

N

Can they really sustain as many programs as they currently offer? It's a bit like the restaurant that has a range from lasagna to egg foo young to chicken vindaloo. Can all those dishes be prepared well? Looking at the list of things they do it may be time for a programming audit to make sure they can deliver in every area.

F

This group has been accused of sometimes biting off more than it can chew.

N

Their systems are often screwed up and don't meet their expectations for themselves. They create initiatives online and their people and systems cannot support the efforts.

Increase in Staff Number

N

They should expand their number of staff.

Bay Area disconnect

N

The Bay Area is the most disparate and unconnected community I have ever worked in. TBA could be even more pro-active in bringing arts groups together, given our geographic challenges.

Leadership

Brad Erickson
Executive Director

Erickson comes to TBA from the Northern California Supplier Development Council, a private nonprofit dedicated to promoting ethnic minority-owned businesses, where he worked since 1997 in several different capacities, most recently as executive director. Erickson also served as a co-artistic director of First Seen, a playwright-led theatre collective that develops and presents new work in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a playwright, he has had works produced locally by Theatre Rhinoceros, San Francisco Fringe Festival and First Seen. He is currently collaborating with four Bay Area artists on the creation of Burning Louise, a new music theatre work. He is a graduate of the Goodman School of Drama (now the Theatre School of DePaul University).

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